|
Overview
Aspira's patented PMI
technology* is a technique called partial-molecule imprinting that is a
novel improvement upon classical molecular
imprinting. A synthetic peptide whose sequence corresponds to a small
portion of a protein is used as a template molecule t o form cavities on the surface of polymer arrays, films or beads.
The sequence of the peptide template can be selected without knowing the
full protein sequence or structure. A terminal or internal sequence of a
protein predicted by genomic information is typically chosen. A protein of
interest can be captured from a complex biological mixture by the
sequence-specific interaction between the region of the protein and the
polymeric imprint.
Imprints corresponding to the C-terminal protein sequence are
typically used to capture denatured proteins. Approximately 80-90% of the
proteome has a unique 7 C-terminal amino acid sequence. For active protein
capture, imprints are generated using a peptide template corresponding to
an internal sequence that is predicted by a bioinformatics algorithm to be
on the surface of the protein.
Genomics has progressed far more quickly than
proteomics largely because base pair hybridization enables the predictable,
sequence-based separation and analysis of mRNA. The PMI
technology is similar to base-pair hybridization in that a specific capture
agent can be easily and predictably generated against any protein, even one
that has never before been isolated.
* To view the animated portion of this site you will
need a Flash 4 plug-in and/or a recent version
of Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.
|
